Here’s the problem with spending big money on a 29-year-old cornerback entering his eighth season in the NFL. That’s what Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard did when he inked Charvarius Ward to a three-year deal worth $54 million last offseason.
Almost every great cornerback in recent history has peaked out by his late 20s. There are some minor exceptions, but almost none of them produce elite performance once they hit 29.
The average age of the cornerbacks selected for this year’s Pro Bowl Games (I still have a hard time remembering to type that “Games” part) is 24.